St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-15
BLACK HILLS METHoDIsTS.
Preparing to Organize Separate
Conference and Est ablish a Fine
DenominatiOnal School at Hot
Springs.

Preparing to Organize a Separate
Conference and Est ablish a Fine
Denominational School at Hot
Springs.
Special TO the Globe.
DEApwooD, Oct. 1.-THE semi-an-
nual meeting of the Association of
Methodist Ministers of the Black Hills,
held in this city last week, was of un-
usual significance to the denomination
generally, and of promise to the educa-
tional interests of the Black Hills. 1t
should be understood that the churches
of this denomination in the Hills are
classified as missions, and are, as to the
denomination at large, still in the terri
torial condition. But they have of late
years grown so much in numbers and
establishments that they employ eleven
regular ministers and soon expect to
reach the number-fifteen-th en-
titles them to be set up as conference
and become full-fledged constituents of
the denomination. A memorial has al
ready been prepared for submission to
the general conference that meets next
May, asking for an enabling act to that
end, and no doubts are entertained of
their being thus endowed. The Or
ganization at Rapid City is the largest,
and that of this place nearly as large.
A question of more than denOmina-
tional interest is the decision of these
churches to undertake the establish
ment of
A DENoMINATIoNAL SCHOOL,
which it is their intention to build up to
college and even university proportions
in time. This movement was begun at
their meeting last August. Proposals
for inducements were sought from va
riouS towns in the Hills, and at the
gathering last week several were sub
mitted for them to choose from for the
location of their new institution. The
proposal of Hot Springs was accepted
as most feasible and promising. This
amounts to gift, in site for the school
and contributors to the building, of
$4,000. With this liberal sum assured,
and the promise of large individual con-
tributions from all parts of the Hills,
the committee having it in charge feel
warranted in going at work immedi-
ately. The buildings will be COM
menced this fall, and it is promised to
have them ready for occupancy at the
beginning of the next school year.
The new pastor of the Methodist
church at Rapid City,
REV. J. W. HANCHER,
Is at the leaQ OF Tie MONtlleHt W pIo-
vide this denominational adjunct. Mr.
Hancher in his former fields of labor
has achieved a sort of Chaplain Nc
Cabe fame as raiser of sinewS of
work in denOminational enterprises.
He is a good example of that cOmbina-
ton of worldly shrewdness and vital pi-
ETY. in the clergy to which the Methodist
and Catholic churches owe so much OF
their upbuildings.
If this institution attains the proper
tiOnS and rank that are expected for it,
the Black Hills will be fairly well
equipped with facilities for higher edu-
cation. The Normal school at SpearfiSh,
the school of mines at Rapid City and
the Catholic seminary at Deadw0od, are
already enlisted in this work. The new
Hot Springs institution will be the only
Protestant denominatiOnal school in the
Hills.
1t is of interest to note that there is
manifested just now increased interest
in public schools in the Hills. AT Her
mosa last week was held the first Nor
NAL institute for Custer county, and
there is now in progress at Rapid City
the first such instruction for the teach
erS of Pennington county. They have
both been attended by nearly the en-
tire force of teachers in the respective
counties: and what is more to the pur-
pose, one who has attended many such
gatherings in the East teStifieS hereby
that in interest and earneStneSS the
comparison is largely in favor OF the
Dpdauo0tIpS of Dakota